Mork Microchip PIC32MX ICSP

Mork is adaptation of Nanu nanu Microchip PIC ICSP for the STM32 based vcc-gnd or Maple mini.

Both STM32 boards are inexpensive boards which don’t cost much more than the Nano 3.0 yet they are far more powerful.

One complication though for the vcc-gnd, is that it comes with a serial boot loader which is not accessible via it’s USB port. This means that another device is required to program the vcc-gnd which can be an STLink compatible device or, if using a 3V3 UART, STM32Flash.

The vcc-gnd page shows both examples of programming the board.

The Maple mini comes with a USB boot loader which is compatible with dfu-util. This doesn’t need any other hardware and is an easier option for running this application than the vcc-gnd.Mork Microchip PIC32MX ICSP

Licence

Mork is licensed under same terms as Pickle Microchip PIC ICSP which is the source of the software used to create this project. The Pickle LICENCE is found here. This licence details the rights and liabilities of using the application and it should be especially understood that I, the author, will not accept any responsibility for any side effects of running it. Do not download and use this firmware unless you are willing to accept the consequences of it failing for any reason.

Credits and thanks

This software was written by Darron M Broad and is an adaptation of Pickle Microchip PIC ICSP.

Thanks go to the libopencm3 developers for providing this library. This is used for a number of functions but most importantly, the USB driver.

Install

Mork utilises OpenCM3 and this must be installed first. Installation of this will require gccarm and Mork depends on that also.

When prepared we can fetch and build Mork.

hg clone http://hg.kewl.org/pub/Mork
cd Mork
make

Now we can install the firmware. In this example I am using STLink with a STM32 F4 discovery to program the vcc-gnd.

make -f Makefile.vcc-gnd st-flash

If you need to use STM32Flash, then program like this.

make -f Makefile.vcc-gnd stm32flash

You should follow the advice on the vcc-gnd page regarding wiring for STM32Flash and remember not to connect USB simultaneously when programming.

For the Maple mini the programming process is simpler. Install dfu-util and press reset on the board and then one second later, enter the following.

make -f Makefile.maple_mini dfu-utilMork Microchip PIC32MX ICSP schematic

Set up

Connecting to the target is simple, the following schematic gives an overview of the ICSP requirements.

The pins on the Maple mini are the same as the vcc-gnd.

Program & verify

When waiting for instructions Mork will blink the LED quickly and leave the target running.

Here I will use PIC32Prog to program the chip with the APE65 firmware for the PICMX150F128B.

 

 

For more detail: Mork Microchip PIC32MX ICSP

About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer with a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan University. I have written for various industries, mainly home automation and engineering. My writing style is clear and simple, and I am skilled in using infographics and diagrams. I am a great researcher and am able to present information in a well-organized and logical manner.

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